Leslie Johnston

1951 - 2025

Leslie Johnston

Jul 23, 1951 - Aug 26, 2025

With hearts full of love and deep gratitude, we remember and celebrate the life of Leslie Rosenfield Johnston, a devoted wife, mother, teacher, and friend, who passed away surrounded by the love she gave so freely throughout her life.

Leslie was the truest example of a selfless and fiercely protective mother-always putting her daughter first, always ready with comfort, guidance and unconditional love. Her family was her greatest joy and for over 58 years she shared a remarkable life story with her husband, her Horace Mann High School sweetheart and prom date, Tom Johnston. Together they built a life rooted in devotion, laughter, adventures and deep partnership.

Teaching was more than a career for Leslie. Throughout her many years in the Lake Sybelia classroom, she nurtured not only the minds of her students but also their confidence, creativity and hearts. Along the way, she built lifelong friendships with her fellow teachers, bonds that became like family. (Dolphin Family Forever)

Leslie had a tender heart for animals, especially the many dogs who shared her home and filled her days with companionship and joy. Her love extended to all living beings and she made the world gentler and more beautiful simply by the way she cared for it.

Leslie had a flair for fashion and was always dressed to the nines. A true fashionista (a trait passed down from her mother) with a fun, sassy spirit, she brought sparkle and style wherever she went.

Her legacy is one of love, kindness and quiet strength. To know Leslie was to feel safe, cherished, and to laugh with joy. Though her absence leaves an ache beyond words, her spirit will forever live on in her family, her friends, her students and in every life she touched.

She is preceded in death by her loving parents Phyllis and Bernard Rosenfield, survived by her husband, Tom Johnston; her daughter, Sarah Johnston; her sister Adrian Selig; her nephew Gary Selig (Amanda Bell and Dylan Bell); her nephew Ira Selig (Christina Selig); her great-nephew Julian Selig and her great-niece Audrey Selig.

A service honoring Leslie's life will be held 12:00 PM, August 31, 2025 at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois With Rabbi Ed Feldman officiating. There will be a Celebration of Life held in Florida within the coming weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Doglando Foundation, an animal rescue that was a meaningful part of her life and Vito's, her beloved furbaby. (www.doglandofoundation.com/donations). May she rest in peace and may her memory always be a blessing.